PRS Pickups (electric guitar) - do you like them?

Dru Edwards · #1 01-09-2018, 07:04 PM

Are you a fan of PRS pickups? PRS makes some excellent guitars but throughout the years there have always been comments about the pickups.

My 1998 CE-22 has Dragon II pickups. They're good, maybe even very good, but not great. For me, not as good as Seymour Duncans. I've read better things about Dragon I pickups though.

I've also read great reviews about some of their pickups, including from AGF members. The 57/08 comes to mind and that's one I'd like to try.

Your thoughts?

David MacNeill · #2 01-09-2018, 07:47 PM

Mr. Smith & company make superb pickups. They make the only coil-tap humbucker that doesn’t drop in volume when you switch to one coil — it just changes the tone, not the gain. Brilliant!

TjthePhD · #3 01-09-2018, 09:26 PM

Their 58/15 low-winds work great for me. I liked the original McCarty pickups as well. All of the others I have tried have been too modern-sounding for me; I'm more of a fan of the vintage tone. I assume the others do a modern tone very well, judging by their popularity, but it just isn't the tone for me.

clintj · #4 01-10-2018, 02:10 AM

Whatever ones are in their SE models are quite good in a band situation. They have a strong midrange push that really stands out vs something like my Les Paul, and keeps the guitar from getting buried by other instruments.

Scotso · #5 01-10-2018, 06:09 AM

Not much of a fan. Never liked them much. Dragons and HFS are my least favorite. Casual observation- it seems that the more gain you use in your signal chain, the more you like PRS pups. Love everything about PRS otherwise. Consistently some of the best playing and well made guitars out there. I have heard from friends that the new 85/15s are really good and not reflective of past PRS efforts.

Steely Glen · #6 01-10-2018, 09:25 AM

I have an SC58 with 57/08s. Great PAF tone. Not nearly as hot as Dragons or the McCartys (which I also love, especially the bridge) but very clear and articulate when clean and then they just take flight when you add dirt.

KevWind · #7 01-10-2018, 04:47 PM

I am new to electric little over a year ago so by no means very knowledgeable .

That said: I really like the 85/15's that came on my CE 24 But that may just be newlywed bliss talkin'

Certainly can't point to anything specific I do not like or would change (with the exception of the slight drop in db level when I pull up the tone knob for single coil tap) for which I have learned to roll the volume knob a bit to compensate. But again I do not know if that is the pick up per se, or in the tone knob switching electronics But that is the only improvement I could think to possibly make and by no means something to make me want to get something different .

aknow · #8 01-10-2018, 05:24 PM

I've had, and have quite a few of their guitars. Their only weak link in the best mass produced electrics have been their pickups. Dragon's were the worst, the bridge p/u on my 98 McCarty, probably the best. I grew up hearing Gibson and Fender electrics, and maybe that's why.

Dru Edwards · #9 01-10-2018, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Glen

I have an SC58 with 57/08s. Great PAF tone. Not nearly as hot as Dragons or the McCartys (which I also love, especially the bridge) but very clear and articulate when clean and then they just take flight when you add dirt.

I've read nothing but great reviews on the 57/08s. I'd like to try them out one day.

Steely Glen · #10 01-11-2018, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I've read nothing but great reviews on the 57/08s. I'd like to try them out one day.

I really like them. Tim Shaw made a set of PAFs when he was with Gibson in the early/mid-80s that are called “Shawbuckers.” They were in the Heritage series Les Pauls and the 335s of that era. Those are the best PAFs I personally have heard but the 57/08s are a close second.

Here’s a video I recorded with that PRS a while back:

LouieAtienza · #11 01-11-2018, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

I am new to electric little over a year ago so by no means very knowledgeable .

That said: I really like the 85/15's that came on my CE 24 But that may just be newlywed bliss talkin'

Certainly can't point to anything specific I do not like or would change (with the exception of the slight drop in db level when I pull up the tone knob for single coil tap) for which I have learned to roll the volume knob a bit to compensate. But again I do not know if that is the pick up per se, or in the tone knob switching electronics But that is the only improvement I could think to possibly make and by no means something to make me want to get something different .

What I would do instead of a simple coil-tap was to make the coils go from series to parallel, which seemed to keep the output pretty close when switching, can do it with a DPST push-pull pot.

imwjl · #12 01-11-2018, 12:57 PM

I need to be careful that I'm not being critical or unfair. I had a Hollow Body and SE PRS that were wonderful.

Is nice but not exactly my style a fair way to put it? My like or love was more along the lines of at times a glass of white wine or pint of stout are really great but in the long run I usually drink coffee or an ale.

Also to be fair I like electric tone that's clean or slightly dirty. Most of all of the PRS or modern Gibson's I've tried or had were toward really powerful and biting. That opposed to an OG ES-335 an associate has or my Collings with Lollar low wind pickups that sounds like my associate's old Gibson.

Hotspur · #13 01-11-2018, 01:37 PM

I've been really impressed from what I've heard from the 57/08s.

I do think that a lot of PRS pickups are aimed at a sort of mid-80s hard-rock sound, which just does nothing for me. But when they go more vintage (the 57/08 or the McCarty pickups) they're pretty great.

aknow · #14 01-11-2018, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Glen

I really like them. Tim Shaw made a set of PAFs when he was with Gibson in the early/mid-80s that are called “Shawbuckers.” They were in the Heritage series Les Pauls and the 335s of that era. Those are the best PAFs I personally have heard but the 57/08s are a close second.

Here’s a video I recorded with that PRS a while back:

That's a nice video. You're right about the Shaw pickups. I just sold a Heritage I've been damaging my neck and shoulder with for about 40 years! I don't miss the weight, but I do miss the sound. The prs pickups, even the 57/08's are still missing something compared to classic Gibson.

Dru Edwards · #15 01-11-2018, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Glen

I really like them. Tim Shaw made a set of PAFs when he was with Gibson in the early/mid-80s that are called “Shawbuckers.” They were in the Heritage series Les Pauls and the 335s of that era. Those are the best PAFs I personally have heard but the 57/08s are a close second.

Here’s a video I recorded with that PRS a while back:

Some great chops. I really like the 1/4 second, 1/4 step bends you do at the end of phases (does that make sense). That adds so much to groove.